FOREVER and a day, punting, understandably enough, has been based on finding winners.
These days, however, finding losers can be equally profitable – particularly when it comes to the sport of harness racing.
Tonight, at Tabcorp Park, half of the meeting’s 10 contests harbour favourites with TAB Fixed Odds quotes of shorter than $2.
Sadly, an archaic mindset continues to permeate the perspective of many wagering investors who reel at races with short-priced, particularly red-figure, favourites.
This needn’t be the case.
Ultimately, these events create clear-cut decision-making opportunities.
Either you’re with the popular elect, in which case backing that runner or using them to anchor quaddies and multiples seems the sensible course of action, or you’re against them – which also opens a world of opportunities.
Exchange betting is the prevailing platform for circumstances where one is wanting to ‘risk’ an odds-on jolly, but other options are also available.
If you’re more comfortable wagering via TAB then simply supporting several alternate runners in the same event – another tactic badly underemployed by old-fashioned punters – there’s every chance you’ll be handsomely rewarded.
That only applies, of course, if you’re a better-than-average judge.
Let’s look at the five ‘shorties’ at Melton tonight.
In race three, Just A Bit Touchy is currently quoted at $1.35 in the Group 1 Australasian Premier Trotting Sales Final for three-year-old fillies.
She has more ability than her adversaries but has won less than half of her 11 starts to date and made race-ending errors in three of her six defeats.
In the fourth event, Honolua Bay heads the Westburn Grant Free For All market at $1.20.
He has speed drawn inside him and draws out wide in gate seven but probably appears gilt-edged overall.
In the first leg of this evening’s quaddie, Yambukian has been backed from $1.85 to $1.65 but must overcome a second line draw and isn’t yet the complete package. He appears too short.
While in the sixth race Gilligans Island is $1.70 as a result of rumour more than form and Keayang Chucky is $1.60 in race nine – the meeting’s second Group 1 – despite beating rival More Wanted home on one occasion from five prior encounters.
Here’s a tip – at least one of these hot favourites will go under.
Your job is working out just who that is and playing accordingly.
EXCITEMENT surrounds the Maori’s Idol Trotter Free For All at Melton tonight.
Headlining the Group 3 contest are reigning Inter Dominion champ Maori Law, fellow Group 1 winners Credit Master and Parisian Artiste along with dramatic late-bloomer Nephew Of Sonoko.
Critically, most of these major fancies are drawn poorly and the distance is just 1720 metres.
Races like these, where every inch matters and there’s nowhere to hide are what harness racing requires more of, right across the board.
The opinions expressed in The Forum are those of the author and may not be attributed to or represent policies of Harness Racing Victoria, which is the state authority and owner of thetrots.com.au.